Eyeworld

EW NEWS & OPINION 32 March 2015 by Kenneth J. Hoffer, MD Tribute to Norman S. Jaffe, MD time. He immediately took up the challenge to stop the California FDA from blocking IOLs. Together we hired an attorney he recommended from New Orleans who investigated our situation and presented us with the issues and options at a forum at Santa Monica Hospital. From this we persuaded Henry Hirschman and Mary Kay Michelis to hire San Diego attorney Ted Pulaski to file a lawsuit against the State in Superior Court. We asked Robert Hubble to form the Intraocular Lens Manufacturers Association (ILMA) bringing in all the manufacturers. We asked the game show host Gene Rayburn (my patient) to head an organization we called the Patients and Friends of In- traocular Lenses. Norman and I kept the AIOIS completely out of all legal affairs but did keep the membership informed as to what was happening. It was a trying time, but Norman's leadership pulled us through the tough parts—he was perfect. On Aug. 22, 1975, Superior Court Judge Harry Hupp issued a prelim- inary injunction preventing the He was remarkably generous with his time and knowledge, hav- ing several visitors regularly in sur- gery. In fact, it was he who allowed me to learn phaco by observing him frequently 35 years ago. He designed IOLs and instruments, and made modifications to phaco machinery, eschewing royalties while lending his name, time, and expertise. He is perhaps best known for his testimony to the FDA regarding safe- ty and efficacy of intraocular lenses. In the early days, our profession was threatened by the potential restric- tion of IOLs from surgical care. However, he and his stellar patient, actor Robert Young (from the TV show Marcus Welby, MD), were able to convince the FDA of the benefits of and need for this tool against the challenge of aphakia. But to those of us who had the opportunity to observe him firsthand, he was a master of all he attempted. He was impeccably gifted as a surgeon and applied the same skills to all he did, particularly salmon fishing. It often appeared as though the rules of gravity and friction did not apply to him; he was that smooth. Dick was remarkably sensitive and honest with his patients. I was among the very lucky to have learned surgery and patient care from this man. I took great personal pride when he was elected to the ASCRS Hall of Fame in 2013. He remains among a very short list of personal heroes. –Samuel Masket, MD I had the extraordinary good fortune of meeting Dick Kratz in the very beginning of my career. We bonded immediately and from that time on, Dick was a steadfast supporter of my career. When I relocated from Boston to the University of Califor- nia, Irvine, I immediately looked up Dick and went to lunch, reinforcing that this was a rare man who gave freely of his knowledge and talents. Having fully retired for the second or third time, he became a devoted supporter of our mission to build a world-class eye institute. Dick became a founding member of our building committee and remained active as a board member until his passing. He became a personal supporter with the donation of a state-of-the-art operating theater. We could count on Dick to attend CME events until his final illness, always alert, curious, probing, and fiercely independent. He was truly one of the great educators and innovators of our time. –Roger F. Steinert, MD Tribute to Richard "Dick" P. Kratz, MD continued from page 31 W hy does every eye surgeon around the world owe a huge debt of gratitude to Norman Jaffe? It is quite simple. He was a very special person with a uniquely inspiring personality and intellect that caused others to respect him and his judg- ment. I knew very few who had the courage to question Norman, espe- cially this 30-year-old, 2 years out of residency in 1974. In 1974, when I performed my first lens implants, few ophthal- mologists respected the couple of hundred who were implanting these "foreign bodies" or as Richard Troutman called them, "intraocular time bombs." Discussions on the subject were not allowed at major meetings in the U.S., nor were pa- pers accepted for publication in the respected journals of the day. I knew this field could not advance without such open discussion and proceed- ed to put together an organization I called the American Intra-Ocular Implant Society (AIOIS) and incor- porated it in California in August 1974. Our original group of 4 organiz- ers decided to put together a Scien- tific Advisory Board that could make decisions but have no real corporate power. To do this, we put together a list of all those we had ever heard of doing IOLs. When we finished, we culled it down to 13 people. We divided up the phone calls and contacted each of them person- ally. There was one I kept for myself: Norman Jaffe. I was totally intimi- dated but after asking him to be part of it, he questioned me intensely as to my motivations and intentions. When we finished, he said he would "think about it." Eventually, I called him back and told him that the AIOIS station- ary was going to the printers with or without his name on it and he had one week to make his decision. I told him "the train is leaving the station." He finally said yes and I was very relieved. I knew this would make all the difference. During my first year as president, a major goal I had for AIOIS was that Norman Jaffe take over the presidency in 1975 just as we were facing the Califor- nia Food and Drug Administration (FDA) putting a stop to making or selling IOLs. Since most manufac- turers were in California, that would put a practical end to IOLs nation- wide. He demurred my requests for quite some time but then suddenly after months of prodding him, he accepted. The timing was perfect and he was the perfect man for the From left to right: Drs. Emery, Norman, and Garry Jaffe Source: Norman S. Jaffe, MD

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